The killer tanker that crushed a seven-year-old girl to death on Friday was plying on Hyderabad city roads ‘illegally’.
The 18-year-old vehicle, registered with RTA in Ranga Reddy district, had no permission to ply in the Greater Hyderabad limits, as it was more than 15 years old, said a senior transport official. The Goods Carriage Permit issued to the vehicle owner, B. Krishna Yadav of Shamshabad, reads ‘All Routes Except Prohibited in Telangana’. According to this, the vehicle is not supposed to ply in the Greater Hyderabad limits.
“The vehicle permit clearly indicates that it should not move on Hyderabad roads, as there is a ban on the movement of vehicles aged 15 years or above in the State capital,” the transport department official said.
On Friday morning, Dia Jain, who was riding pillion on her father’s bike, was crushed to death after she came under the wheels of the water tanker opposite Methodist Church on Chapel Road.
They were on their way to school when the accident snuffed out the life of the little girl.
According to the police, the accident took place after the girl’s father, Naresh Jain, lost control of his bike after the tanker splashed water on him and as a result, he fell on the other side of the road, while Dia came under the rear wheel of the tanker. Apart from the ban on plying the vehicle on city roads, another rule was violated too: the tanker driver, Babu Rao, 55, who was arrested by the Abid Road police, violated the ‘no entry’ rule too, as there is a ban on the entry of heavy vehicles in the city from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The police said the restriction on plying of a commercial vehicle on the city roads was put in place to ensure smooth flow of traffic and curb road accidents.
They confirmed that the vehicle had all valid documents, including fitness certificate and insurance, and Mr. Yadav was paying ₹ 3,370 quarterly tax.
When asked about the measures being taken by the transport department officials to check the menace that water tankers have become, the officer said the department was ‘helpless’ as they get ‘little’ or no help from the Police Department. There were 7,769 tankers, both fuel and water registered in the Greater Hyderabad limits, till February, the RTA data stated.
